Eegister locking mechanism



G. C. COIL REGISTER LOCKING MECHANISM June 13, 1939.

Filed Sept. 12, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Grover (Q 11f ATTORNEYJune 13, 1939. G. c.-c;olL

REGISTER LOCKING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 12, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June13, 1939. c, co L REGISTER LOCKING mEcHAmsM 3 sheets-sheet 5 Filed Sept.12, 1935 [NVEVNTOR BY Gr 01987 ATTORNEY Patented June 13, 1939 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE REGISTER, LOCKING MECHANISM Application September12, 1935, Serial No. 40,294

12 Claims.

The object of this invention is to provide a locking mechanism for cashregisters which are provided with clerks counters whereby any clerk canlock against actuation his counter so that no other clerk can actuatehis counter. These coun ters are of the type which register the numberof transactions performed by any clerk.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view with certain of the parts brokenaway;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the parallel bars shown near the bottomof Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the counter and the operatingmechanism therefor;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1 andlooking in the direction of the arrow; and

Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view of one of the locks and themechanism directly associated therewith.

For the purpose of illustration, I have shown the invention incorporatedin the type of register shown in Patent 1,981,205, patented November 20,1934. The clerks lever l is provided with a segmental rack 2 secured toa sleeve 3 rotatably mounted on a shaft 4. The rack 2 meshes with anddrives a pinion 5 secured to a shaft 6 which has pinned thereto a gear Iwhich meshes with and drives a gear 8 connected to an indicator. Thesleeve 3 has secured thereto an arm 9 operatively connected to a bracketII] which is operatively connected to a segmental gear H, whichsegmental gear meshes with and drives a rack l2 on a slide rod l3 whichnear its lower end is provided with a rack M which meshes with anddrives a pinion IS. The pinion I5 drives a pinion l6 which meshes withand drives a pinion ll secured to a shaft 18. The shaft i8 is providedwith disks I?! having over-turned flanges 20, each of which is providedwith two apertures it. As shown in the application of Albert S.Wheelbarger and George H. Darst, Serial No. 383,460, filed August 5,1929, which issued March 2, 1937, as Patent No. 2,072,413, there is agate 22 which is raised and lowered each time the machine is operated.The apertures in this gate receive arms 23 and 24 which are providedwith arms 25 and 25 having over-turned flanges 27 and 28 which normallylie on the inner periphery of the flanges 28. When the shaft 18 isrotated so as to bring one of the apertures 2| adjacent one of theflanges 2! or 28 the selected clerks counter 29 or 30 will be operatedwhen the gate is actuated. Inasmuch as this structure is fully shown anddescribed in the said application, further description in thisapplication is not considered to be necessary, it being sufficient toremark that there are as many counters as there are clerks '5 and thereis one disk 19 for each two clerks; that is, there is one-half as manydisks !9 as there are clerks counters.

By means of the above described mechanism the clerk, by the manipulationof the clerks lever 10 I, positions one of the apertures 2| so that itwill be adjacent the lever which controls his counter, which counterwill be actuated when the machine is operated. A clerk should notposition the lever I so that any other clerks counter would be actu- 15ated but heretofore there would be nothing to prevent a dishonest clerkfrom so doing,

In order to prevent one clerk from registering on another clerks counterthere is associated with each clerks counter a lock 3| of such a 20character that when the lock associated with any counter is in itslocking position the mechanism for operating the counters will be lockedagainst movement so long as the setting mechanism is adjusted to aposition to select that particular 25 counter for operation. As shown inFigs. 1 and 6, each counter lock 3| includes a rotatable barrel 32 and alocking member or bar 34 which is connected with the barrel for movementthereby. As here shown, the locking bar extends trans- 30 versely to thebarrel and is provided with a transverse slot which, in the presentinstance, is formed in a U-shaped prong 35 and receives a pin 33projecting from the end of the barrel 32, so that when the barrel isrotated by its key 35 through an arc of 180 the locking bar 34 will bemoved into or out of its locking position and when moved to its lockingposition this locking bar will operate or control the operation of adevice for locking the operating mechanism for the counters againstoperation.

In the present apparatus the means for controlling the movement of thelocking device for the operating mechanism comprises an actuating member38 (Fig. 2), the position of which is con- 45 trolled by the settingmechanism and the operative movement of which, with relation to thesetting mechanism, controls the position of the locking device. In thepresent instance this actuating member 3 is in the form of a leverpivotally mounted between its ends on a stud 39 carried by a bracket 4!]which is secured to and forms a part of the reciprocatory slide bar l3which constitutes a part of the setting mechanism. The operating orpivotal movement of this actuating lever operates through suitableconnecting mechanism to control the position of the locking device forthe operating mechanism, and the actuating lever 38 is provided at itsupper end with a head which contacts with the connecting mechanism andis provided at one side with a tapered nose, as shown at 37. At itsother end the actuating lever is provided with a tapered nose 43 whichcooperates with teeth 42 formed on a stationary rack bar M. Theconnecting mechanism is resiliently held in engagement with the head atthe upper end of the actuating lever so that the selecting movement ofthe slide bar I3 will cause the nose 43 of the actuating lever to rideover the teeth of the rack bar 4| thus imparting oscillatory movement tothe actuating lever and to the connecting mechanism.

In the arrangement here illustrated the connecting mechanism comprises alever 54 pivotally mounted at its lower end on a stud 49 and having atits upper end a contact surface 51 (Fig; 5) which bears against a flange58 on the adjacent end of a connecting bar 59. This connecting bar isslidably supported at one end by a stationary pin 6! which extendsthrough a slot 60 in the bar, and is pivotally connected at its otherend with a locking device 63 which is here shown as an arm pivotallymounted on a stud 64 and has its free end arranged for movement into andout of the path of a shoulder I9 formed on. a disk 8!! which is rigidlysecured to a gear 8| meshing with a gear 82 rigidly secured to the maindrive shaft I8; so that when the locking device is in the path of theshoulder I9 the drive shaft and consequently the counter operatingmechanism is locked against operative movement. A spring 58 acts on thelocking device 63 to hold the latter normally in its inoperative orunlocking position and this spring also serves to move the lever 54 in areverse direction so as to hold the connecting mechanism in engagementwith the actuating lever 38.

The means for operatively connecting the actuating lever 38 with thelever 54 may take various forms but inasmuch as the actuating levermoves lengthwise of the lever 54 it is important that this connectingmeans shall be of such a character as to maintain the operativeconnection between the two levers in all positions which the actuatinglever may assume. I have therefore shown means for connecting the twolevers in the form of a parallelogram, see Fig. 3, comprising sidemembers 44 and 45 and lower and upper members 46 and 41, the sidemembers being connected at their ends with therespective end members bypivot studs 48. The lower end member 46 is pivotally mounted on the stud49 and the upper end member 41 carries a sleeve 50 adapted to receive astud shaft 53, and secured to this sleeve is a crank arm 5| having atits free end a pin 52 which extends into a slot 56 in the lever 54. Thehead of the actuating lever 38 has sliding contact with the side member45 of the parallelogram and the member 45 is held in constant contactwith the actuating lever 38 by the action of the spring 68 abovedescribed. Consequently the parallelogram and crank arm 5I will movewith the actuating lever 38 as the latter moves about its pivotal axis39 and this movement will control the position of the locking cessbetween adjacent teeth of the rack bar 42, thereby permitting thelocking device 63 to be moved to its inoperative or unlocking positionby the spring 63. As the slide bar I3 moves from one selecting positionto another, the nose 43 of the actuating lever 38 will ride over one ofthe teeth 42 and will thus be moved about its axis in a direction topositively move the locking device 53 into its locking position withrelation to the disk 80. Thus it will appear that the operatingmechanism is released for operation when the setting mechanism is in itsselecting position with relation to any counter and said operatingmechanism will be locked against operation when said setting mechanismis in a non-selecting position.

When a counter lock -3I (Figs. 1 and 6) has been actuated to move itslocking bar 34 into locking position that bar will be located inoperative relation to the actuating lever 38 and may either impartmovement to the actuating lever to cause the locking device 63 to bemoved to looking position or it may prevent the movement of theactuating lever in a direction to release the locking device, if thelatter is already in its locking position when the slide bar I3 of thesetting mechanism is adjusted to select for operation the counterassociated with that locking device. Assuming that the slide bar I3 isnot adjusted to select that particular counter for operation, thelocking bar 34, when in its locking position, will lie in the path ofthe nose 3'! of the actuating lever 38 and as the slide bar I3approaches a position to select for operation the counter associatedwith that looking bar the lever 33 will be actuated by the adjacent racktooth 42 to move the locking device 63 to its locking position and thefurther movement of the slide bar I3 to accurately select that counterfor operation will move the nose 3'! of the actuating lever into contactwith the face of the locking bar 34 and that bar will then hold thelever against movement in a direction to release the locking device solong as the slide bar I3 is adjusted to select that particular counterfor operation, or until the locking bar 34 is moved to its inoperativeposition. The rack teeth 42 are provided merely for the purpose oflocking the operating mechanism when the slide bar I3 is in anon-selecting position and if these teeth were omitted itwill beapparent that the actuating lever would remain in its retractedposition, with the locking device in its unlocked position, during themovement of the slide bar I3 until the nose'3'l of the actuating lever38 engaged a locking bar 34 which was in looking position and thefurther movement of the slide bar I3 would cause the beveled nose 3'! tomove over the locking bar 34, thus moving the actuating lever about itsaxis in a direction to move the locking device 63 to locking position.Should a counter lock be actuated to move its locking bar 34 intolocking position while the slide bar I3 was adjusted to select foroperation the counter associated with that particular lock the movementof the locking bar to its locking position would cause the beveled end36 thereof to engage the nose 3'! of the actuating lever 38, which wouldthen be in line with the locking bar, and thus rock lever 38 in adirection to move the locking device 63 to its locking position. In anyevent the movement of the locking bar of any counter lock to its lockingposition will prevent the operation of the counter operating mechanismso long as the setting mechanism is adjusted to select for operation theparticular counter with which that locking bar is associated.

It is customary to provide a register of the type here shown with acontrolling device which serves to initiate the operation of theregistering mechanism, as by closing the motor switch, and the counterlocks may also serve to prevent the operation of this controlling deviceto initiate the operation of the mechanism while the setting mechanismis adjusted to select a counter whose lock is in looking position. Asshown in Fig. 5, this controlling device comprises a reciprocatorycontrolling bar 12 which is connected with the device to be controlled,not here shown. The bar 12 is provided with slots, one of which is shownat I3, to receive stationary guide pins I4 and it is connected at itsupper end by a pin 83 with a crank arm 84 mounted on a shaft 85 andrigidly connected with a second crank arm 86, thus providing in effect abell crank lever. The arm 86 is provided with a roller 88 mounted on astud 81 and contacting the edge of a push bar 92, commonly called amotor bar. This push bar has at one edge parallel surfaces 89 and 98connected one with the other by an inclined or cam surface 9|. When thepush bar 92 is in its retracted position the roller 88 engages thesurface 89 at the lower end of the camsurface and the depression of thepush bar causes the cam surface 9| to rock the arms 88 and 84 about theaxis of the shaft 85 and thus depress the bar 12. The bar 12 of thecontrolling device is provided with a locking recess H adapted toreceive the nose Hi of a locking lever 66 which is pivotally mounted ona stud 81 and is held normally in its retracted or inoperative positionby a spring 68. The locking lever 66 is moved into locking engagementwith the bar 12 by the action of the locking device 63. For this purposethat device is provided with an arm having at its outer end a flange 85arranged to engage a cam surface 93 on the lever 66 and actuate the sameto move the nose 18 thereof into the locking recess ll. Thus the counterlock not only locks the operating mechanism against operation butprevents the closing of the motor switch.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a separate device for locking the operatingmechanism, comprising a reciprocatory bar I12 having a slot I13 engaginga stud H4 to guide the bar. At its. lower end the bar is provided with alocking arm I15 adapted to enter a locking notch H6 in the disk I11secured to the main drive shaft 18. However, this locking device is notin the present instance controlled by the counter loclc but iscontrolled by mechanism independent thereof.

I realize that many changes may be made in my invention withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof and I, therefore, desire to claim thesame broadly except as I may limit myself in the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, setting mechanismto select the counter which is to be operated, and operating mechanismto actuate the selected counter, means for locking said operatingmechanism against operation including an element connected with saidsetting mechanism for movement therewith and for movement with relationthereto and locks associated with the respective counters, each lockhaving a part which, if moved to locking position while said settingmechanism is adjusted to select for operation the counter with whichsaid lock is associated, will impart movement to said element andactuate the locking means for said operating mechanism.

2. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, setting mechanismto select the counter which is to be operated, operating mechanism toactuate the selected counter, and a controlling device to initiate theoperation of said operating mechanism, locks associated with therespective counters, separate locking devices for said operatingmechanism and said controlling device, and means controlled by theselecting movement of said setting mechanism to move both lockingdevices into and, out of their locking positions, said counter lockshaving means for retaining both locking devices in their lockingpositions while said setting mechanism is positioned to select foroperation the counter whose lock is in looking position.

3. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, setting mechanismto select the counter which is to be operated and operating mechanism toactuate the selected counter, a device to lock said operating mechanismagainst operation, an actuating member connected with said settingmechanism for movement therewith and with relation thereto, means foroperatively connecting said actuating member with said locking device,means acting on said actuating member during the movement of saidsetting mechanism to impart operative movement to said actuating member,and locks associated with the respective counters, each lock having apart which, if moved to its locking position while said settingmechanism is adjusted to select for operation the counter with whichthat look is associated, will operate said actuating member to lock saidoperating mechanism.

4. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, setting mechanismincluding a longitudinally reciprocatory member to select the counterwhich is to be operated and operating mechanism to actuate the selectedcounter, a device to lock said operating mechanism against operation, atoothed rack extending lengthwise of said reciprocatory member, anactuating member pivotally mounted on said reciprocatory member foroscillatory movement with relation thereto about a transverse axis,means for operatively connecting said actuating member with said lockingdevice to control the position of the latter, said actuating memberhaving a part arranged to move over the teeth of said rack and to causesaid locking device to move to its locking position as saidreciprocatory member moves from one selecting position to anotherselecting position and to enter a recess between adjacent teeth andcause said locking device to move to its unlocking position when saidreciprocatory member is in a selecting position, and locks associatedwith the respective counters, each lock having a part adapted when inlocking position to prevent said part of said actuating member fromentering said recess so long as said reciprocatory member is in aposition to select for operation the counter with which that lock isassociated.

5. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, setting mechanismcomprising a reciprocatory member to select the counter which is to beoperated, and mechanism for operating the selected counter, a device forlocking said operating mechanism against operation, and actuating membermounted on said reciprocatory member for movement therewith and foroperative movement with relation thereto, means controlled by theoperative movement of said actuating member to move said locking deviceto its looking position, and locks associated with the resspectivecounters, each counter lock having a movable part arranged to engage andoperate said actuating member when said counter lock is moved to lockingposition after said setting mechanism has been adjusted to select foroperation the counter with which said counterlock is associated and tobe engaged by said actuating member and impart operative movement to thelatter when said counter lock is moved to locking position before saidsetting mechanism is adjusted to select for operation the counter withwhich said counter lock is associated.

6. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, setting mechanismincluding a longitudinally reciprocatory member to select the counterwhich is to be operated, and operating mechanism to actuate the selectedcounter, a device to lock said operating mechanism against operation, atoothed rack extending lengthwise of said reciprocatory member, anactuating lever pivotally mounted between its ends on said reciprocatorymember, means for operatively connecting said actuating lever with saidlocking device to control the position of the latter, said actuatinglever having at one end a part arranged to travel over the teeth of saidrack and thereby impart oscillatory movement to said actuating member assaid reciprocatory member moves from one position to another position,said actuating lever having a nose at its other end, and locksassociated with the respective counters, each counter lock having a partmovable to a position to engage the nose on said-actuating lever whensaid reciprocatory member is in a position to select for operation acounter with which that lock is associated and thus prevent the movementof said actuating member to release said locking device.

7. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, a setting lever, aslide bar, means for operatively connecting said slide bar with saidsetting lever, means actuated by said slide bar to select the counterwhich is to be actuated, operating mechanism to actuate the selectedcounter, means including a movable member to lock said operatingmechanism against operation, an actuating member, means for connectingsaid actuating member with said slide bar for movement therewith and formovement transversely thereto, a connecting device comprising tworelatively movable members, means for operatively connecting one memberof said connecting device with said locking member, the other member ofsaid connecting device being arranged to have operative engagement withsaid actuating member in all positions of the latter and having meansfor actuating the first mentioned member of said connecting device, atoothed member extending lengthwise of said slide bar, said actuatingmember having a part arranged to be engaged and actuated by a tooth ofsaid toothed member as said slide bar moves from one selecting positionto another selecting position to cause said actuating member to impartmovement to the last mentioned member of said connecting device, andlocks associated with the respective counters, each lock having a partmovable to a position to engage said actuating member and control themovement thereof when said slide bar is adjusted to select for operationthe counter with which that lock is associated.

8. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, a setting lever, aslide bar, means for operatively connecting said slide bar with saidsetting lever, means actuated by said slide bar to select the counterwhich is to be actuated, operating mechanism to actuate the selectedcounter, means including a movable member to lock said operatingmechanism against operation, a bar extending lengthwise of and movabletransversely to said slide bar, means for operatively connecting saidtransversely movable bar with said looking member, a toothed barextending lengthwise of said slide bar, an actuating lever connectedwith said slide bar for movement therewith and for oscillatory movementwith relation thereto, said actuating lever having a part in slidingengagement with said transversely movable bar and ber when said slidebar is adjusted to select a counter which is to be operated, and locksassociated with the respective counters, each lock having a part movableto a position to engage said actuating member and control the movementthereof when said slide bar is adjusted to select for operation thecounter with which that lock is associated.

9. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, setting mechanismincluding a longitudinally reciprocatory member to select a counterwhich is to be operated, and operating mechanism to actuate the selectedcounter, a device including a movable member to lock said operatingmechanism against operation, a toothed member extending lengthwise ofsaid reciprothe movable member of said locking device, an

actuating lever pivotally mounted between its ends on said reciprocatorymember, having one end in sliding engagement with said last mentionedmember and having its other end arranged to engage and to'be actuated bythe teeth of said toothed member when movement is imparted to saidreciprocatory member, spring means to move said movable member of saidlocking device in one direction and to hold said last mentioned memberin engagement with said actuating lever, and locks associated with therespective counters, each lock having a part movable to a position toengage said actuating member and control the movement thereof when saidreciprocatory member is adjusted to select for operation the counterwith which that lock is associated.

10. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, setting mechanismincluding a longitudinally reciprocatory member to select a counterwhich is to be operated, and operating mechanism to actuate the selectedcounter, a device including a movable member to lock said operatingmechanism against operation, a connecting member pivotally mounted atone end on a fixed axis, means for operatively connecting the other endof said connecting member with the movable member of said lockingdevice, a toothed bar extending lengthwise of said reciprocatory member,a member having a contact surface extending lengthwise of saidreciprocatory member, means for pivotally supporting the last mentionedmember adjacent the pivotal axis of said connecting member, means foroperatively connecting said last mentioned member with said connectingmember at a point spaced from the axis of the latter, an actuating leverpivotally mounted between its ends on said reciprocatory member, havingat one end a part slidably engaging the contact surface of said lastmentioned member and having at its other end a part to ride over theteeth of said toothed member, spring means acting on said last mentionedmember and said actuating member to hold the latter in engagement withsaid toothed member, and locks associated with the respective counters,each lock having a part movable to a position to engage said actuatinglever and control the movement thereof when said reciprocatory member isadjusted to select for operation the counter with which that look isassociated.

11. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, setting mechanismincluding a longitudinally reciprocatory member to select the counterwhich is to be operated and operating mechanism to actuate the selectedcounter, a device including a movable member to lock said operatingmember against operation, a connecting member pivotally mounted at oneend on a fixed axis, means for operatively connecting the other end ofsaid connecting member with the movable member of said locking device, aparallelogram having side members and end members pivotally connectedone to the other, means for pivotally mounting one end member of saidparallelogram on an axis coincident with the axis of said connectingmember to support said parallelogram for oscillatory movement, means forconnecting the other end member of said parallelogram with saidconnecting member, a rack bar extending lengthwise of said reciprocatorymember and having teeth on one longitudinal edge thereof, an actuatinglever pivotally mounted between its ends on said reciprocatory member,having at one end a part slidably engaging one side member of saidparallelogram and having at its other end a part engaging the teeth ofsaid rack bar, spring means to move the movable member of said lockingdevice to an inoperative position and to press said parallelogramagainst the first mentioned part of said actuating member, whereby themovement of said reciprocatory member will move the last mentioned partof said actuating lever over the teeth of said rack bar and thus causesaid movable member of said locking device to be actuated alternately bysaid actuating lever and by said spring means, and locks associated withthe respective counters, each lock having a part movable to a positionto engage said actuating lever near the first mentioned end thereof andhold said movable locking member in an inoperative position when saidreciprocatory member is in a position to select for operation thatcounter with which said lock is associated.

12. In a register comprising a plurality of counters, setting mechanismcomprising a reciprocatory member to select the counter which is to beoperated, and mechanism for operating the selected counter, a device forlocking said operating mechanism against operation, an actuating membermounted on said reciprocatory member for movement therewith and foroperative movement with relation thereto, means controlled by theoperative movement of said actuating member to move said locking deviceto its locking position, and a lock associated with the respectivecounters, each counter lock having a part movable by the lockingmovement of said counter lock to a position adjacent the positionoccupied by a part of said actuating member when said setting mechanismis adjusted to select the counter with which that counter lock isassociated, said parts being so arranged that when one of said parts ismoved to its said position while the other part is in its said positionthe part which is so moved will engage the other part and causeoperative movement to be imparted to said actuating member.

GROVER C. COIL.

